Page 21

Chapter Twenty

I felt someone bump into me in the dark. They didn't say a word—not a sorry, not an excuse me—and then they were gone. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see people on the patio pulling out their phones, tiny constellations of light appearing in the dark. The gentle hum of the air conditioning died, leaving behind a weighted silence broken only by nervous laughter and whispered conversations. I reached for my own phone, but before I could activate the flashlight, emergency generators kicked in, casting the great room in a dim glow.

Then Victor appeared in the center of the room. "We've had a minor electrical problem, nothing to worry about," he said, scanning the crowd with sharp eyes. "I'd appreciate it if you would all stay where you are. I don't want anyone to get hurt while we're getting the electricity back on. It should just be a moment."

After his reassuring announcement, Victor crossed the room to speak to David Grimes. They huddled together, speaking in low voices, before heading toward the stairs.

My nerves tightened . Did this sudden blackout have something to do with Victor's private collection in the upstairs gallery? Was the darkness a cover for a robbery?

I wondered again where Andrew was. I wanted to know that he was in this room, that he wasn't upstairs, that he wasn't the thief Ethan thought he was. But I couldn't see him anywhere, and I felt more uneasy with each passing moment.

No one else seemed as tense as I was. But I had a bad feeling in my gut, and I couldn't seem to shake it, so I did what I'd told myself I wouldn't do—I drank my champagne, hoping the bubbles would ease my stress. Unfortunately, the sparkling liquid made my stomach churn even more.

While the other guests carried on with their practiced party smiles, I noticed security personnel moving with military precision down the hallway and up the stairs. Their hands hovered near concealed weapons, and their expressions carried none of Victor's artificial calm.

"Where's Andrew?" Paula's voice at my elbow made me jump. I hadn't seen her come in from the patio.

"I'm not sure." I hated how my voice wavered. Clearing my throat, I added, "He was with Bennett earlier."

Paula's lips thinned into a harsh line. She turned and cut through the crowd toward the stairs, but one of the security guards intercepted her. Their conversation was brief and one-sided—Paula's face darkened with each word until she spun away, radiating fury.

As I turned my attention back to the living room, Andrew emerged from the shadows, and when our gazes met, he gave me a casual nod and threaded his way through the crowd toward me.

"Where were you?" I asked, the question coming out sharper than I'd intended.

"In the restroom. I got lost in the dark. Any idea what's going on?"

"Victor said something about an electrical glitch that should be fixed shortly." As if on cue, the lights came back on.

"Perfect timing," Andrew said with a smile.

"What do you think that was all about?"

"Who knows? Maybe a power surge?" He adjusted his tie. "I could use another drink and some food. I'm starving."

He wasn't acting like a man who had anything to hide. He wasn't trying to leave or avoid anyone. But I still had the feeling the blackout and his disappearance were tied together.

"I see apps being served on the patio," he added. "Let's go see what food we can snag before dinner starts."

I followed him outside, watching as he grabbed a crab puff from a server.

"Want one?" he asked.

"I'll wait for dinner. What did you and Bennett talk about?"

"The work project."

"Anything new?"

"Not really. He wants to do the deal on his own, but I told him it has to be the Carrington Group or nothing. He didn't like it, but he understood. I'll sit down with him and Victor on Thursday, after we get through the grand opening."

His words reminded me of my recent conversation with Ethan. How much had Andrew gained through my Carrington connections? Looking back at our early days together, I searched for signs I might have missed. We'd been going out for weeks before we'd talked about the marketing campaign. Before that, I'd been a mid-level employee working for a large corporation. I'd had no contact with Victor, Paula, or Bennett. Had Andrew been conning me from the beginning? Or had our love affair been genuine at first, and it was only later when he saw opportunities that his ambition had taken over? That he'd pushed ahead on marriage because he saw where I could take him?

"What's going on in your head?" Andrew suddenly asked, his gaze sharpening. "You're quiet."

I shrugged, knowing I couldn't have a personal and deep conversation now. "Just tired and a little stressed. The lights going out was unnerving."

"I'm sure it was nothing. No one seems concerned but you, Lauren. You should try to relax. Have another glass of champagne. We might as well try to salvage something out of our honeymoon," he said, a dry note in his voice.

"Are we still having a honeymoon? You've been so distant today, Andrew. I'm sure Allison's death hurt you, and I want to be there for you, but I don't know how to talk to you about it."

"We're not discussing Allison," he said, his voice turning to ice. "It was an accident. And we can't change anything, so we move forward."

"I want to move forward."

"Then do it," he snapped, losing patience with me. "I get that this has been a rough couple of days?—"

"Rough?" I interrupted. "I could have died yesterday, Andrew."

"I know that. I was there. And I was terrified that even if we found you, it would be too late. But it wasn't. You're alive. You're okay. And you should be happy and grateful we get to be at this beautiful party tonight. But everything we have to do is a hardship to you, and I'm getting tired of having to pump you up through luxury experiences like an incredible massage or an exclusive party for the rich and famous. Do you know how many people would like to change places with you right now?"

I stared at him in amazement, shocked by his harsh words. "It's my fault that I feel bad after getting shoved off a yacht in the middle of the ocean and left to die?"

"We both know that's not what happened," he said tersely. "It's what your drug-addled brain made you think happened."

"Either way, I was in the water struggling to survive, not you. It's pretty easy to judge me for an experience you didn't have."

He exhaled sharply, then raised his hand in what looked more like surrender than apology. "Okay, you're right. I guess I'm trying to move past the bad stuff so we can enjoy the good times. But you are fighting me every inch of the way, and it's exhausting."

"I'm not trying to fight, Andrew. I want things back the way they were. I want us to feel connected."

"We'll get there, but we both have to try. And that starts now. Can you look a little happier?"

"I can," I said, realizing he was partly right. I was tense, constantly searching for threats in the shadows, desperate not to be caught off guard again. It wasn't only because of Andrew's suddenly inconsistent behavior; it was everything that had happened to me.

"Good," he told me, his stiff shoulders relaxing with my words. "We love each other, right, Lauren?" His questioning gaze bored into mine, demanding the right answer.

"Right," I said automatically, even though love was the last emotion I felt right now. But arguing with him was only making things more uncomfortable.

"Then let's start over now. Let's move forward together. Tonight is a good night. Tomorrow will be even better. We have nowhere to go but up."

I wanted to believe in his certainty, but my mind kept circling back to the blackout. What had really happened in those five minutes of darkness? And more importantly, what was coming next?

Twenty minutes later, Victor gathered everyone in the living room once more.

"Before our meal, I have something special I want to share with you all, the newest piece in my collection." Victor's eyes gleamed with barely contained excitement. "Please follow me upstairs and into my gallery."

A ripple of anticipation moved through the crowd. As we ascended the stairs, I couldn't help but notice how the security presence had doubled since our last visit. Two guards flanked the gallery entrance, their weapons prominently displayed in tactical holsters—a clear message to anyone considering mischief. They collected our phones in a woven basket, citing a strict no-photo policy that felt more ominous than before.

The gallery's climate-controlled air washed over us as we entered the room and formed a semicircle around the previously empty display case that was now covered with a white linen cloth. Victor took his position behind the case, with Ethan hovering at his shoulder like a particularly vigilant shadow. Paula stood off to the side, her perfectly manicured fingers fidgeting with her diamond bracelet. Bennett stood with the rest of us, looking both bored and angry, as his father commanded the spotlight.

I glanced at Andrew beside me. The transformation in him was startling. Gone was the relaxed and somewhat distant man from the patio. His eyes now burned with intensity; his body coiled with anticipation.

"Tonight is a very special night," Victor began, drawing my attention back to him. "In the early eighteenth century, King Louis XV of France was known for his extravagance, and his queen and mistresses famously adorned themselves with lavish jewels. But there was one notable and spectacular blue diamond that was beyond anything anyone had ever seen. It was cut into the shape of a heart and worn in a large pendant by Louis's queen as a symbol of his love. It was called the Heart of Eternity, and also known as the Unbreakable Heart, because it could never shatter."

The irony of the name wasn't lost on me, standing there beside my increasingly mysterious husband. Some things broke in ways that had nothing to do with physical destruction.

"While it couldn't break, it could be stolen," Victor continued. "The diamond disappeared during the French Revolution. There were alleged sightings over the years, other smaller blue diamonds that were suggested to have been cut from that original stone, but nothing was ever proven. And then six months ago, in an old farmhouse in the South of France, a very old man died, and one of his heirs discovered a velvet pouch tucked away in an old army boot."

Victor paused, a master storyteller who knew exactly how to hold his audience. I could feel the electricity, the anticipation in the room. It was palpable.

"Inside that box," Victor said, "was the bluest diamond this man had ever seen. He knew he had stumbled upon something very, very special, and he reached out to a jeweler to find out what it was worth. The jeweler was a friend of mine. He'd known of my interest in finding that diamond for years, and he was able to broker a private deal between the three of us."

"When I first envisioned this resort," Victor continued. "I saw it as a place for love to be discovered and rediscovered. For couples to fall in love, get married, and celebrate their anniversaries. This diamond is a symbol of eternal love, and it's why I wanted it to be the centerpiece of my collection here on the island. It won't be here forever, but while it's here, I wanted to share it with you—my closest friends. Down the road, my company will be working with a jeweler to create a blue diamond wedding pendant that will be available to purchase by the brides who get married here in the future. In fact, it will launch an entire wedding jewelry collection, which will be my next venture."

Bennett's sharp intake of breath caught my attention. His face had drained of color, this news clearly hitting him like a physical blow. Another decision made without his input, another reminder of his peripheral role in his father's empire.

"But today…" Victor's voice swelled with pride. "I am thrilled to say that you will be the first people in hundreds of years who will see the legendary diamond in all its glory." He cleared his throat dramatically. "Here is the Heart of Eternity."

He dramatically pulled the cloth away, revealing a diamond that seemed to capture and amplify every bit of light in the room. It sat alone on white silk, a pure expression of blue fire that made several guests audibly gasp.

The crowd surged forward instinctively, then froze as bells chimed when someone's hand brushed the glass.

"I'm sorry," Victor said, though he didn't sound sorry at all. "You won't be able to touch the glass without setting off an alarm. Those of you in the front, please take a moment, and then move away so others can see the diamond."

Andrew and I were among the last to approach the case. The diamond was even more spectacular up close, seeming to pulse with an inner light that made it appear almost alive. Victor beamed at us with proprietary pride, while Paula's smile had calcified into something brittle and sharp. She probably sensed that her husband loved this diamond far more than he loved her.

"What do you think?" Victor asked.

"It's stunning," I managed, struck by how something so beautiful could feel so dangerous. "I've never seen anything like it."

"One of a kind," Andrew murmured, his gaze sliding from the diamond to Victor with admiration. "And quite the acquisition. I'm surprised you were able to keep it quiet this long."

"It was not easy," Victor admitted. "But I wanted to have this moment with a special group of people."

I was still surprised that Andrew and I had been included in that special group of people, but maybe it was because we went with the love story.

We gazed at the diamond for another minute before moving away to let the last few guests take a look. Andrew then wandered around the gallery, as did many other guests, pausing now and then to gaze at one of Victor's pieces. I stood off to the side, not particularly interested in seeing it all again. As I did so, I glanced at Ethan. His eyes were on Andrew, but after a moment, he turned and looked at me.

There was a determined grimness to his gaze. His job had just gotten more difficult, as he would now have to keep a legendary diamond safe from thieves. And Andrew, one of his favorite suspects, was walking around the room, taking a look at everything.

But the gallery had to be as secure as any room could be. I couldn't imagine how anyone could get inside to steal anything, and the case itself seemed impenetrable.

Another ten minutes passed before Victor said that the gallery would be closing, and they would see everyone downstairs for dinner.

As we left the room and collected our cell phones, I turned to Andrew. "That was a surprise."

"Yes. Victor outdid himself. It's amazing what kind of wealth he must have to acquire something like that."

There was an undertone to his words I couldn't decipher. Was it envy that Victor was so far ahead of him? Or anger that one man could have so much?

I had never realized the extent of Andrew's ambition until this weekend. I'd known he was trying to build a business, but now I saw how much he wanted the success and wealth that Victor had. Maybe everyone wanted that. Maybe I was the one who didn't dream big enough.